Mike Vrabel
Updated: Wikipedia source
Michael George Vrabel ( VRAY-bəl; born August 14, 1975) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, twice receiving All-American honors. Vrabel was selected in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he spent his first four seasons. Vrabel then played his next eight seasons with the Patriots, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections in 2007, along with winning three Super Bowl titles. In his final two seasons, he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. After retiring as a player following the 2010 season, Vrabel was the linebackers and defensive line coach at Ohio State for three seasons. His NFL coaching career began in 2014 with the Houston Texans as linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator, before becoming head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. During his time in Tennessee, Vrabel led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, two consecutive division titles, and an AFC Championship Game appearance in 2019, the franchise's first since 2002. He was also named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021 after helping the Titans obtain their conference's top seed for the first time since 2008. Following his departure from Tennessee, Vrabel was a consultant for the Cleveland Browns in 2024 before becoming the Patriots' head coach the following season. In his first season with New England, he led them to their first division title since 2019.